Gainesville’s Ford dealership has come full circle, returning to the large location at 3333 N. Main St. after a hiatus at a small location farther south on Main Street.
The renaissance is the work of Randy Parks, the owner of Parks Motor Group, which owns seven dealerships, mostly in the Tampa and Orlando areas.
In addition to the Ford dealership here, the company own Parks Hyundai, located immediately south of the Ford dealership.
Parks is glad to be involved in Gainesville, where he began his college education as a University of Florida student, he said during the ribbon cutting for the two new dealerships. The event was held on July 25 in cooperation with the Gainesville Area Chamber of Commerce.
“I love being in a college town,” Parks said. “It’s a great place to do business.”
Since Parks bought the Ford dealership in 2009, has quadrupled sales and tripled service work, General Manager John Lanza said. The two dealerships employ 65.
The new buildings for both the Ford and Hyundai dealerships are state-of-the-art, Lanza said.
At Ford, a large window in the showroom allows customer to see their cars being worked on in the service area. At Hyundai, a video camera allows customers to observe the service area.
Ford customers take ownership of their new vehicles and go over their features in an air-conditioned space. There’s a play area for children and a coffee and water bar.
A symbol of the dealership’s professionalism is that employee Jasen Nowacki won Hyundai’s service technician competition, held in Korea in 2011, Lanza noted.
John Felice, general manager for Ford Lincoln sales for the United States, attended the ribbon cutting. He applauded Parks as a model dealer, noting that he is a member of two Ford advisory groups.
“He’s followed our blueprint with this building and gone beyond it,” Felice said. “It’s a big investment, and it’s bringing jobs to the community.”